Cabinet all set for expansion; 6 MLAs likely to get elevation
Saturday, 27/05/2017
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=176983&boxid=58847&uid=&dat=2017-05-27
Chandigarh : Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh may expand his council of ministers with the induction of nearly six more ministers soon.
Sources disclosed that five new ministers will be inducted during the proposed Punjab Cabinet meeting in the first week of June and the rest posts will be filled later. The cabinet, at present, has nine ministers excluding Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who is holding a number of portfolios.
The government will appoint Chief Parliamentary Secretaries later on, it is learnt. Sources disclosed that the names of MLAs who will be made ministers, have almost been fanalised. The MLAs who are seeking elevation as ministers are busy in lobbing for berth in the cabinet council.
While some have been paying repeated visits to Delhi for seeking ‘blessings’ of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi the others are paying repeated visits to Amarinder Singh’s residence.
Reliable sources disclosed the MLA who could be elevated are Raja Warring, from Gidderbaha assembly constituency. A two-tome MLA, Warring is chief of the All Indian Youth Congress and is a confident of Rahul Gandhi. Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, MLA Guruharsahai, is a close associated of Amarinder Singh.
Others who could be inducted in the ministry include Raj Kumar Verka, from Amritsar (West), Balbir Singh Sidhu, Mohali, O P Soni, from Amritsar (Central), Vijay Inder Singla (Sangrur), Kuljit Singh Nagra (Fatehgarh Sahib), Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Dera Baba Nanak) and Sangat Singh Gilzian (Tanda Urmar).
Presence of the ‘aspirants’ has been increased at the CM residence for the past one month, sources disclosed.
Though hockey Olympian Pargat Singh, who after quitting Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) joined the Congress before Vidhan Sabha Elections and was elected from Jalandhar Cantonment seat, seems not in the race, sources, however, informed that the CM may adjust him in the his cabinet.
A reshuffle in the portfolios of the sitting Ministers is also on cards, a senior Congress leader claimed.
